Michael Chandler thinks critics in the aftermath of Justin Gaethje’s win over Paddy Pimblett are just being negative.
Gaethje and Pimblett shared the Octagon inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for a historic show. The two headlined UFC’s first event as part of the Paramount+ deal on Jan. 24. Gaethje had a fun slugfest with “The Baddy” on his way to a unanimous decision. “The Highlight” was able to batter Pimblett throughout the course of the fight.
While some fans were thrilled to see the action on display, other retired veterans have expressed disappointment from a skill perspective. Chandler was asked for his take during an interview with MMAFighting, and he’s of the belief that the criticism is just noise.
“Yeah, it’s hard, right? Because the sport should continue to evolve and you think it continues to evolve, so therefore, it should become cleaner, more streamlined, less sloppy, so to speak,” Chandler said. “But at the end of the day, it’s still a street fight, you know? There’s a very limited amount of rules. He’s throwing something, I’m throwing something. He’s throwing something as I’m throwing something, you get hit with something.
“I look at it like I would never disrespect two guys who go out there and they lay it on the line. Was there a little [bit of] sloppy moments? Yes, of course, there was. But there’s little sloppy moments in every aspect of the sport, and obviously, there’s going to be the people who’ve never done it talking about it, but then guys who have, who have done it, who somewhat have a tendency to pretty much poo-poo on every single fight, or every single thing, not to mention any names.”
Gaethje became a two-time interim UFC Lightweight Champion thanks to his performance against Pimblett. He’s now in line to meet Ilia Topuria in an undisputed title fight at some point this year. Topuria has been on a hiatus, but it appears he’s back to the gym after taking care of personal matters.
Did you enjoy Justin Gaethje’s victory over Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324? Sound off in the comment section below.
